In this photo taken July 18, 2016, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani gives an enthusiastic speech in support of candidate Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)In this photo taken July 18, 2016, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani gives an enthusiastic speech in support of candidate Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(Newser)
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Just a few hours after President Trump said Rudy Giuliani would "get his facts straight," Giuliani issued a statement "intended to clarify" the comments he's made about the Stormy Daniels controversy in recent days. In the statement, Giuliani said the $130,000 that Trump paid to Daniels in 2016 to keep quiet about an alleged affair “would have been done in any event, whether he was a candidate or not.” The Washington Post explains the import: On Thursday, Giuliani speculated about what might have happened if Daniels' allegation had surfaced just before the election, raising the possibility that investigators could consider it a campaign-related expense that runs afoul of campaign finance laws.

"There is no campaign violation," says Giuliani in his statement. “The payment was made to resolve a personal and false allegation in order to protect the President’s family." Giuliani also specified that "my references to timing were not describing my understanding of the President’s knowledge, but instead, my understanding of these matters.” In a third point, he touched on the firing of James Comey, saying the move was "clearly" within the president's power under the Constitution. "Recent revelations about former Director Comey further confirm the wisdom of the President’s decision, which was plainly in the best interest of the nation." Giuliani had earlier raised eyebrows by saying Trump fired Comey because the FBI chief wouldn't rule out that Trump was a target of the Russia investigation, but the clarification does not address that point, notes the Hill.